Sarah, indeed, because she was now grown old, placed very little dependance upon this promife, and even laughed at it within herfelf; for which the Lord reproved her. But Abraham waited with patience for the performance of His word, which never fails; being fully perfuaded, that what God had promifed, He was able alfo to perform.

The time appointed at length came, and Sarah brought forth a fon, who was called Ifaac. This was an occafion of great joy; and he proved an increafing comfort and bleffing to his aged parents; for as he grew in years and ftature, he improved in knowledge and goodnefs; because Abraham commanded his children and his houshold to keep the way of the Lord, to do justice and judgment.

Parents, bring up your children in the nurture and admonition of the Lord: Train them up in the way they should go, and when they are old, they will not depart from it.

Children, honour and obey your parents'; for that is well pleafing to the Lord: and it fhall be well with you, both in this world and in the next.

CHAP. X.

HAGAR AND ISHMAEL.

WHEN fome years had paffed after the firft promife of a fon to Abraham, and Sarah ftill continued childlefs, fhe gave up all expectation of becoming a mother herfelf, and concluded, that the promised heir was to be born of another woman. She therefore perfuaded her husband to take Hagar, her handmaid, as a wife. Hagar became proud upon this change of her condition, and treated her mistress with contempt and infolence; and after the birth of Ifaac, Ishmael, the fon of Hagar, looking upon him with an envious and jealous eye, made a mock and derifion of him. At this behaviour Sarah was fo offended, that fhe importuned Abraham to exclude Hagar and her fon from the family: and, when the father was in great perplexity upon the occafion, the Lord confirmed the request of Sarah, and directed him to fend away the mother and the fon; promising, that Ishmael fhould become a nation, but at the fame time declaring, that in Ifaac his feed fhould be called.

There was a great difference, according to the Apostle Paul, between thefe fons, for Ishmael, the fon of Hagar, the bond

woman, was born only according to the flesh in the common courfe of nature; but Ijaac was born, by virtue of the promise, and by the particular interpofition of divine power. They reprefent to us the two covenants of the Law and the Gofpel: the former is a state of bondage and fervility; the latter a state of freedom and glorious privileges. The miniftration of Mofes was weak and unprofitable, when compared with the Gofpel, which is the miniftration of righteousness, of life, and the Spirit; and the difference between the Jewish and, the Chriftian ftate is like that between childhood and manhood, between fhadow and fubftance, between bondage and liberty.

How thankful then fhould we be to God that we are the children of the free-woman, called under the liberal and happy difpenfation of the Gospel, and made heirs of the bleffings of the covenant through the promifed feed, of whom it was declared, that all the families of the earth should be bleffed.

CHAP. XI.

THE FAITH OF ABRAHAM IN OFFERING ISAAC.

THE Almighty was pleased to make ano

ther trial of the faith and obedience of Abraham; or rather to manifeft them more fully to the world; and make him an illuftrious pattern to all pofterity. He commanded him to take Ifaac, when he was about twenty-five years of age, and offer him for a burnt-offering, upon mount Moriah. Severe as the command was; though Ifaac was his fon, his only fon, whom he loved with all the affection of a tender father though he was the very fon, of whom it was exprefsly faid, in Ifaac shall thy feed be called: he readily complied with it. He reafoned with himself, that God who had given him, as it were by a miracle, when in the courfe of nature there was no hope of children, was able even to raise him from the dead; and therefore, being Strong in faith, he staggered not. He rofe early the next morning, and took Isaac to the mountain; the fatal knife was in his hand; his fon lay panting upon the altar; and he was juft giving the deadly ftroke, when an angel itayed his hand. As he looked round in furprize, he, faw a r

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caught in a thicket; and having feized it, he offered it for a burnt-offering, instead of his fon. For this great act of faith and trust in the Supreme Being, Abraham was honoured with the glorious name of father of the faithful; and God immediately renewed his promife to him, that he would bless him very abundantly, and multiply his family: In thy feed (faid He) fhall all the nations of the earth be bleed, because thou haft obeyed my voice.

We are taught, by this inftance of obedience, to love God above every thing upon earth, and to refign with a willing mind, our fortune, our children, our deareft comforts whenever he calls for them.We cannot but obferve farther, that this particular action, required from Abraham, was a remarkable type or reprefentation of what was done afterwards, as is fuppofed upon the fame mountain; and feems intended to point out to him, and to fucceeding generations, the particular method, by which God propofed to redeem mankind, by offering up his only begotten Son Jefus Chrift.